March 23 (Renewables Now) - Europe's annual energy storage market is expected to almost double in 2021, growing to 3 GWh from 1.7 GWh in 2020, according to a report unveiled today by the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE) and Delta-EE.

The 2020 deployments brought Europe's cumulative installed base across all segments to 5.4 GWh, according to the fifth edition of the European Market Monitor on Energy Storage (EMMES).

The front-of-meter segment performed strongly last year as new balancing and ancillary services in countries like Italy, the UK and the Nordic region underpinned demand for grid-level storage of increasing duration.

The behind-the-meter segments, residential and commercial and industrial (C&I), however, were more affected by the pandemic, which hindered onsite installations. These sectors are expected to recover as the pandemic recedes. They will also be boosted by the EU COVID-19 Recovery Plan that is expected to channel significant funds to green energy technologies.

"We are anticipating growth in the sector will accelerate as improved access to markets, particularly for behind-the-meter storage, and the increasing ability for batteries to stack value from multiple markets, add to government support from ‘green recovery’ packages," said Jon Ferris, head of energy storage and flexibility at Delta-EE.

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